Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

The Pei brothers stepped forward, their backs slightly hunched, and pleaded with Steward Liu with deep resentment, "Steward Liu, why are you doing this? The Pei family has been a family of scholars for generations. Now you've driven us women and children to this desperate situation. Aren't you afraid you won't sleep well at night?"

Manager Liu let out a sneer from his nose and twirled his greasy mustache.

"Master Pei, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I'm just following orders and doing what's proper. How can you say I'm forcing you? This house is definitely going to be taken over by the authorities!"

He waved his hand, and several constables immediately stepped forward again.

Outside the crowd, Shen Qiongju, who had just stepped off the carriage, felt a sinking feeling in her heart.

She pushed through the crowd of onlookers and walked in step by step.

Shen Qiongju's appearance was like a drop of clear water falling into a boiling oil pot.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

All eyes were drawn to the young woman who had suddenly appeared.

She wore a simple cotton dress, her face, unadorned, bore the marks of a long journey, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like stars in a cold night, calm and clear, without a trace of panic.

"Who are you?" Manager Liu narrowed his eyes, looking Shen Qiongju up and down, his gaze filled with undisguised amazement and frivolity.

"Shen, a commoner, is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Pei family."

Shen Qiongju's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

She didn't look at the distraught Liu, nor did she pay attention to the whispers and pointing around her; she simply fixed her gaze on Manager Liu.

"Sir, may I have the pleasure of looking at the contract?"

Her tone was neither humble nor arrogant, as calm as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

This composure plunged the previously noisy scene into an eerie silence once again.

Liu and Pei Jundai were both stunned. They hadn't expected that their eldest daughter-in-law would be willing to come back and help at this critical moment.

Manager Liu felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, but then he thought, what tricks could a weak woman possibly pull?

He smiled frivolously and handed her the yellowed contract, almost touching her fingertips.

"See? I'll show you clearly and put your mind at ease! It's all in black and white, clear as day, so you can stop your nonsense."

Shen Qiongju held up two fingers and took the paper that would decide the fate of the Pei family.

Her gaze swept across the area rapidly.

In her past life, she had been forced to handle countless shady documents and contracts while working alongside Wen Xiujie, which honed her sharp eyes to spot all sorts of deceitful matters.

To the untrained eye, this contract appears flawless.

But she only needed one glance to spot that fatal flaw.

The mortgage date is written as "the twelfth day of the eleventh month of the seventh year of Yong'an".

She clearly remembered that the official gazette announcing the dismissal and investigation of the former corrupt magistrate, Zhang, was issued on the 13th day of the 11th month of winter.

On his last day, an official who was about to be dismissed hastily mortgaged a confiscated mansion to the government housing agency.

This in itself is strange.

More importantly, according to the "Dasheng Code," such disposal of official property had to be reported to the prefectural government in order to prevent local officials from embezzling funds, and only after the government office affixed its official seal across the seam could it take effect.

The contract in front of us only has the official seal of the Wu County government, while the seal of the prefectural government is blank.

A huge loophole, enough to render this contract worthless!

Shen Qiongju's heart suddenly raced, but her face remained calm.

She knew she couldn't point it out directly.

A cornered dog will jump over a wall. These seasoned officials, once exposed in public, will do anything in their anger and shame.

She slowly raised her head, a faint, enigmatic smile even appearing on her lips.

"Sir, I've finished reading this contract."

"Get out of the way now that you've finished reading! Take your people and get out!" Manager Liu waved his hand impatiently.

"Sir, please don't be hasty." Shen Qiongju handed the contract back to him, her voice gentle yet carrying a peculiar penetrating power. "I just have a question I'd like to ask you, sir."

"According to the regulations of the Household Law section of Volume Three of the Great Sheng Code of our dynasty, such important matters concerning the disposal of official property require the seals of both the county and prefectural governments to be valid before they can take effect. I wonder if I have remembered correctly?"

Her words precisely struck at Manager Liu's weak spot.

Manager Liu's expression visibly changed.

He didn't expect that this woman was actually quite capable, as she even brought out the "Great Laws of the Great Sheng Dynasty".

"You... what nonsense are you spouting! What government seal? I think you've gone stupid from reading too much!" he roared, his voice trembling with fear.

Shen Qiongju seemed oblivious to his guilty conscience, continuing to smile and speaking with increasing sincerity.

"My lord, please calm down. I am but a woman, how could I know such things? It's just... it's just that the procedure in this contract seems to have a slight flaw."

She paused, lowering her voice even further, as if she were truly thinking of him.

"Think about it, this was handled by the former Magistrate Zhang. Now that a new official has taken office, the most important thing is to investigate past accounts. If we move out now, everything will be fine."

But what if—and I mean just what if—the new county magistrate investigates and finds the paperwork incomplete? If he blames you, he might say you're careless and that it damages your official reputation.

"This is a matter of great importance, and you are in charge. The responsibility... I'm afraid..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the threat in her unfinished words was more chilling than any direct accusation.

A fine layer of cold sweat seeped from the forehead of Manager Liu.

He stared intently at Shen Qiongju. She was right. This contract was indeed created by the higher-ups in their official department before Magistrate Zhang's downfall, without going through the proper procedures of the prefectural government.

Although this process is handled by higher-ups, if the truth comes out, the blame will definitely fall on him.

They thought they could easily subdue the Pei family, a widow and her orphanage, by simply intimidating them, but who would have thought they'd run into someone who knew what they were doing!

Normally, he could have been tough on the whole time, but the Pei family seemed to have a past relationship with the new magistrate, so he didn't dare to gamble.

The surrounding people also figured out something, and discussions arose.

"It seems like there's a problem with the land deed?"

"Judging from what this Pei family daughter-in-law is saying, it's the government's own fault for not having complete paperwork?"

"Tsk tsk, this is what they call 'the wicked will be punished by the wicked!'"

Manager Liu's face flushed red and then turned pale; he was caught in a dilemma.

Just as the stalemate was at hand, a gentle yet authoritative male voice suddenly came from outside the crowd.

"Yes, Steward Liu, what this lady says makes sense. Everything should follow certain rules. Why not complete the formalities and stamps first, and then come to take possession of the house? It wouldn't be too late."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

A young official dressed in a blue robe was seen dismounting from his horse, surrounded by several yamen runners.

He had a handsome face and a gentle temperament, yet there was a sharp edge between his brows that could not be underestimated.

"Your Excellency... Your Excellency the County Magistrate!"